US Open Golf 2024: 3 Instant Reactions to Thursday Leaderboard Scores

History is on Rory McIlroy's side after one round of the 2024 US Open.

McIlroy recorded a bogey-free five-under round at Pinehurst No. 2 on Thursday. The last three times McIlroy opened with a bogey-free round a major, he won the event, per BetMGM's Jason Sobel.

McIlroy rolled in a lengthy birdie putt at the 18th hole to pull level with Patrick Cantlay atop the US Open leaderboard.

Cantlay posted the best score from the morning wave of tee times and was not caught until McIlroy's final hole.

Bryson DeChambeau's chase for the lead also captivated everyone throughout the afternoon, but he came up just short of the first-round lead.

DeChambeau has been one of the most consistent golfers at major tournaments in 2024, and it looks like he will be a factor once again at the US Open.

Cantlay and McIlroy lead Ludvig Aberg by one shot going into Friday's second round. The full US Open leaderboard can be found here.

Rory McIlroy's Bogey Free Round Sets Tone For Tournament

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PINEHURST, NORTH CAROLINA - JUNE 13: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland reacts on the eighth green during the first round of the 124th U.S. Open at Pinehurst Resort on June 13, 2024 in Pinehurst, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

McIlroy's birdie on the 18th hole was a wonderful cap to a round in which he clearly outplayed Xander Schauffele and Scottie Scheffler.

McIlroy did not make mistakes while his two playing partners struggled just to stay around even par for the day.

Most importantly, McIlroy did not give any shots back to the course on Thursday.

He rolled in consecutive birdies on No. 4 and No. 5, moved to three-under at No. 10 and finished with two birdies in his final three holes.

McIlroy produced his first bogey-free opening round at a major since the 2014 British Open. He carded the same type of round at the 2011 US Open and 2012 PGA Championship. He won all three of those tournaments, as golf analyst Justin Ray noted.

McIlroy still has to navigate three rounds on a tough major course, but Thursday was a tremendous starting point in the attempt to finally end his decade-long major drought.

Patrick Cantlay Keeps Up Solid US Open Form

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PINEHURST, NORTH CAROLINA - JUNE 13: Patrick Cantlay of the United States plays his shot from the 11th tee during the first round of the 124th U.S. Open at Pinehurst Resort on June 13, 2024 in Pinehurst, North Carolina. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

An argument can be made that Patrick Cantlay is now the best player in men's golf without a major title now that Xander Schauffele has one.

Cantlay certainly looked that part during his opening round at Pinehurst. He was in solo first place for most of the afternoon before McIlroy's final hole birdie.

Cantlay does not have an exorbitant amount of top-10 major finishes, like McIlroy, Scheffler and others, but he has finished inside the top 20 in each of his last three US Open starts.

The US Open has been Cantlay's best major in that stretch. He missed the cut once at the other three majors in the three-year span.

He needs to be a level above that consistent level to win his first major title, and at least on Thursday, he proved he could reach that part of his game.

Cantlay produced four birdies on the front nine, which is important for his Friday round since he will begin at the first hole. He started on the 10th hole on Thursday.

However, the conditions may not be in his favor come Friday afternoon. The morning wave of tee times produced more lower scores on the course than the afternoon wave. If that trend continues, Cantlay will have to battle for every gained stroke on Friday.

Bryson DeChambeau Hovering Around Top Of Leaderboard Again

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PINEHURST, NORTH CAROLINA - JUNE 13: Bryson DeChambeau of the United States plays his shot from the third tee during the first round of the 124th U.S. Open at Pinehurst Resort on June 13, 2024 in Pinehurst, North Carolina. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)

Bryson DeChambeau's quest for a third top-10 major finish in 2024 began in strong fashion.

The 2020 US Open champion got himself within one stroke of Cantlay before he dropped a shot back to the course on the seventh hole.

DeChambeau was just a few holes away from turning in a bogey-free round and sitting at least one shot off the leaderboard going into Friday.

The final result should still please the 30-year-old since only seven players finished multiple strokes under par on Thursday.

DeChambeau was in the top 10 for seven of the first eight rounds of major golf this season and he is one of four players to finish inside the top eight of the Masters and PGA Championship.

Thursday's three-under round was another step in the right direction for DeChambeau, who could easily find himself in Sunday's final pairing if he plays this well for the next few days.